The Sandusky case at Penn. State, if true, is tragic. The fact that it took so long to come to light is troubling and will certainly change the culture at many universities around the country.
It also gives others in the same position enough confidence to come forward and that is not exclusive to cases of this nature. When a woman claimed that Republican Candidate Herman Cain had sexually harassed her, the accusations started to pour in.
Last week, Syracuse was faced with a scandal of its own. Three different men accused Assistant Basketball Head Coach Bernie Fine of molesting them.
Jim Boeheim originally stated that these accusations were false, but has quickly backed off from those comments. This is partly due to Fine’s wife saying that Fine, “needs help” in a taped phone conversation which was released on major networks.
More information needs to be gathered in both cases, but the allegations are nothing to take lightly. These are people’s lives and careers that are now being put in jeopardy. That goes for both the accusers and accused.
Even if Fine or Sandusky aren’t found guilty in any court of law, they’ve already lost in the public’s opinion. The alleged victims will be criticized if they are found to be falsely accusing these men. However, if that were to happen, those coaches will not get their jobs back. That will also extend beyond the schools in which they were employed. They’ve been blacklisted. That’s irreversible.
We don’t have any reason to not believe the victims in this case, but that could change. It’s hard not to think about the case at Duke several years ago when lacrosse players were accused of rape. As the court proceedings came to an end, and they were found not guilty, they went from villains to martyrs. The damage had been done. Their reputations shattered.
As media consumers we cannot forget to keep checking facts and updates on the evolving stories. They will change and new information will come out. It should be our responsibility to stay informed before we make up our minds. It may be too late for that.
Those who are controlling the media have an even more daunting task. Who do you take seriously? How do you make a judgment on what is a real accusation and what is someone after individual monetary gain? That’s not saying that these cases are either valid or not, time will tell in that regard.
The media has made the decision, and this is true only based upon past practices, that they will cover any and all accusations of this ilk. That is both good and bad. In cases where the accusers are telling the truth, they are being given a voice that they normally wouldn’t have.
On the other hand, when it is a lie they will have aided in destroying the defendant’s career, social life and potentially their family. What should they do?
A responsible media, coupled with a sensible and honest citizen, can do great things. Together they can show society the truth on a number of issues. We cannot take that resource away from anyone. Unfortunately we may have a few victims along the way, who were falsely accused, but the overall good of covering this type of story far exceeds the negatives.
We do not have enough information to comment on whether or not these men are guilty, but we do agree with the coverage of their cases. If the media is going to show one story, they must certainly show them all.
